His ease with the greats, near greats and ingrates is apparent here as he and San Francisco Chronicle reporter Ostler segue smoothly from one celebrity to the next, meshing Howard Cosell, Tommy Lasorda and basketball coaches Abe Lemons and Rick Mejerus in one section; blending Willie Stargell, Al McGuire and Bill Walsh in another. Firestone, not an awed fan, tells why he dislikes Bobby Knight, pities Cosell and despises Don King. One of the best chapters in the book concerns race in America. Unlike those who view sports as contributing to the end of racism, Firestone views the celebrity status of black athletes as white America's means of relieving guilt, which ``puts us in a false comfort zone." Photos not seen by PW. (June) BookList - Scott Wilkens Roy Firestone is the excellent but smarmy host of the long-running sports interview program "Up Close." This book collects behind-the-scenes anecdotes from throughout his career. From Jim Brown to Arthur Ashe to Mike Tyson, Firestone has encountered some of the world's biggest sports stars (and several nonsports celebrities, too, including Richard Nixon). Along with the off-camera revelations, like the time he was emceeing a celebrity roast and had to yank a drunk Frank Sinatra off stage, Firestone includes snippets from some of his actual interviews, proving again that he manages to give breath to the kind of questions fans themselves would like to ask their heroes.

The book also features some autobiographical material that acts only as speed bumps between anecdotes. "Up Close" is at his best when Firestone is trying to get at the story and at its worst when he is trying to become the story.  Hyperion 1-56282-869-X / 9781562828691
Hardcover Very Good  New York out of Print 

Price: 15.75 USD